Strong public feedback has helped London Borough of Harrow refresh their Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) to tackle low-level crime and antisocial behaviour in its parks, town centres and housing estates
- Pinner Memorial Park will be the first to have a dedicated bird feeding area
- Other parks to be reviewed by parks team before bird feeding ban enforced
- Additional control over the number of dogs being walked at once across the borough
Last night (Thursday) Harrow’s Cabinet approved an updated plan to tackle anti-social behaviour and restore pride in Harrow.
Councillors at September Cabinet approved proposals to refresh its Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) following a consultation with residents in early summer.
For eight weeks residents and groups were asked about the environmental issues that matter to them and how they should be tackled. Littering; fly-tipping; litter thrown from vehicles; takeaway waste and litter from food packages were some of the key issues raised.
More than 500 responses were received, including comments from 20 community groups. A programme of education on the updated rules will now be drawn up before the Orders come into force in 2024.
Cllr Anjana Patel, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Infrastructure and Community Safety said:
“Residents and businesses are fed up with anti-social behaviour. Not only does it cause a nuisance, but it ruins people’s enjoyment and peace as they go about their daily lives in our parks, town centres and public spaces.
“We want to make our protection orders better so that they tackle issues that matter to them and deters those from engaging in nuisance behaviour. I’d like to thank everyone who fed back on our consultation which will help us restore pride in our borough and keep our borough clean and safe.”
On bird feeding, almost 60% of people agreed with a ban in parks. While the new PSPO will include the ban, councillors heard it will not go live in any park, aside from Pinner Memorial Park, until a review is undertaken to confirm where the designated feeding area will be.
Each park and open space will be assessed and areas to feed birds identified. It also allows the Parks team to respond to rodent infestation by temporarily restricting any feeding in a park until the vermin issue is addressed.
Pinner Memorial Park will trial this approach and will have an identified space by the pond for families to enjoy feeding the ducks. This will be clearly signposted and is expected to be introduced early next year.
On housing estates, bird and wildlife feeding is allowed, unless signage says otherwise. Cllr Patel added: “We are conscious that some properties on housing estates may not have gardens, so this change was made to allow bird feeding in appropriate areas on housing estates. It also ensures that owners feeding their pets are not caught by this prohibition.”
Leaflet distribution rules are also to be simplified - so religious and political groups only need permission if placing a stand or table in the Town or District Centres.
The number of dogs that can be walked at once has also been altered. The limit is four, on or off lead, but professional dogwalkers can apply for a certificate from the licensing team.
Offences which are replicated from the current PSPO will continue to be enforced. For all new measures there will be a period of education in relation to measures for a period of at least a month before any enforcement is undertaken.
For more details on the changes to the PSPOs, please see https://www.harrow.gov.uk/environment-parks/public-spaces-protection-order